Filing tray



Nov- 20, 1934. R. J. WOOD 1,981,795

FILING TRAY Filed Nov. 15, 1952 2 sheets-she t 1 R. J. woob FILING TRAYNov. 20, 1934.

Filed NOV. 15, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 20, 1934 I FILING'TRAY I Rodney J. Wood, incompetent, Dayton, Ohio, by

Robert H. Wood, guardian, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Remington Rand Inc.,Bufialo, N. Y.

Application November 15, 1932, Serial No. 642,747

. lLClaims. (Cl. 129-16) v This invention relates to filing trays andmore particularly to portable trays or cases for account cards.

At the present time it is customary in bookkeeping systemsin oiflces toemploy large numbers of loose cards or sheets and it is desirable thatthese may be conveniently handled, either .in movement between differentdepartments, from temporary to permanent files, or for and duringinspection or examination of an individual card or sheet. I

The present invention provides a P rtable card tray, adapted for suchuses, wherein a number of cards or sheets may be supported andcontained, beingheld either in upright position and retained in place bya cover member, or disposed vin an inclined position, in which they maybe readily inspected or handled.- It comprises a base, opposite sidemembers hingedly connected to the base and a removable false bottom orcard-supporting plate disposed over the base which serves to preventremoval of the side members and also serves to conceal from view thesupported ends of extensible wire bails mounted upon thebase, whichfunction to sup-. port the hinged side members in inclined position. Thedevice is of simple construction so that there is virtually nopossibility of it getting out of working order, and its construction oflight sheet metal insureseasy portability.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from thefollowing description of a typical device embodying theprinciples of theinvention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings,wherein:---

Fig. '1, is a perspective view of the tray in closed position, in whichcards are supported in upright position and held against removal.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the device in theclosed position depicted in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken at right-angles to Fig.2, and illustrating the tray in open position, in which the cards aresupported in inclined position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspectiveview of the base member, the falsebottom being indicate in broken lines in disassembled relation.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view with parts broken away,showing the releasable hinge connection between the base and falsebottoms and a side member. 3

As shown in Fig. 1, the tray comprises a base member 10, having upwardlyextending end flanges 11 and side flanges 12, and opposite side members13 and 14. The side member 13 has a top member 15 hinged at 1 6 to itsupper edge, the member 15 being provided with a handle 17 by which thedevice may be carried. Interfitting rolled portions are provided alongthe adjacent edges of side member 14and top'member .15, through which aremovable pin 18 may be passed to lock the base, top and side partstogether in a closed rectangular configuration for retaining cards inthe tray. The side members are provided at their bottom edges withinturned tongues 19, having enlarged heads 21, the tongues extendingthrough elongated slots 22 in the flange 12. A false bottom orcard-supporting member 23 having depending flanges 24 is removably heldby frictional engagement inthe base member 10, the depending flanges 24lying between and incontact with the upstanding base flanges 12. Theflanges .24 have notches 25 in alignment with the slots 22 and overlyingthe tongues 19, the notches being of less width than the tongueheads 21,thereby locking the tongues to the base member 10 and false bottom 23.It will be seen that the edges of the slots 22 will prevent extendedvertical movement of the tongues while the edges of the notches 25 willprevent horizontal movement by engaging the tongue heads 21. Sufficientplay or clearance is allowed between the parts however that theconnection may serve as a hinge about which the side members 13 and 14may pivot from the closed position shown in Fig. 1 and in dotted linesin Fig. 3,

to the open or inclined position shown in full .linesin Fig. 3.

Substantially triangular flanges 27 overlying the base flanges 11 areprovided on the vertical edges of the side members 13 and 14, the upperor base edges of the triangular flanges being retained'by dependingclips 28 formed on the upper edges of flanges 11. The overlappingrelationship of the flanges 11 and 27 at all times during movement ofthe members 13 and 14 as between the full and dotted line positions of,,Fig.; 3 results in the tray being completely closed at its bottom atall times, thereby eliminating the possibility of cards or paperscontained therein slipping out between the sides and ends or havingtheir edges mutilated by slipping partially out while or before thedevice is in closing movement.

3 Wire bails are provided to support the hinged sides 13 and 1,4-whenthey are in open or in- .e'lined position. These bails 30 and 31comprise substantially'inverted U -shaped portions disposed verticallyand horizontal portions 32 and 33 rebails.

spectively extending horizontally from the legs of the U-shaped portionsand perpendicularly to the plane of the U-shaped portions. Thesehorizontal portions which have enlarged ends 34 are slidably mounted onthe base member 10, below the card-supporting member 23, the parts 32being staggered relative to parts 33 as shown in Fig. 2. Strip members35 and 36 substantially of the form of angle bars are secured to thebase 10 to provide tracks or guideways for members 30 and 31. The outermembers 35, as shown in Fig. 4, extend entirely across member 10 andhave portions of their upper flanges bent down horizontally thus formingshoulders 37 while the inner members 36 extend only approximately halfthe width of base 10, and have shoulders 38 formed by cutting away theinner ends of upper horizontal flanges of the members 36. Angular slots40 are provided in the base flanges 12, those on one side oi": the basehaving their vertical portions juxtaposed and their horizontal portionsextending away from each other and in alignment with the guidewaysformed by a member 35 and the base and by a member 36 and the base 10.The flanges 24 of the cardsupporting member or false bottom are cut awayat 11 adjacent to the slots 40 so as not to interfere with members 32and 33 extending through the slots.

In assembling the device the side members 13 and 14 are first hinged tothe base member by inserting the tongues 19 through the slots 22. Thisconnection is completed by inserting the false bottom 23 so that theedges defining the notches 25 engage between the base flanges 12 and theenlarged tongue heads 21. The bails 30 and 31 may next be inserted intheir respective guideways by first compressing them and inserting theenlarged ends 34 through the large portions of the key hole slots. Uponinward movement of the bails, the enlarged ends 34 will spring outwardlybeyond the ends of the shoulders 3'7, 38. In using the tray, cards orpapers may be inserted with their ends brought to rest on the falsebottom 10, the pin 18 being removed and the top 15 being swung backabout its axis 16 for this purpose. When it is desired to inspect orexamine the cards, the bails may be pulled outwardly until the enlargedends 34 abut the ends of the shoulders 37, 38, which is the full lineposition of Fig. 3, and the sides 13 and 14: may be swung outwardly torest upon the When it is desirable to move the cards to another place,the sides may be brought to the closed position shown in dotted lines inFig. 3 and the bails moved inwardly against the tray sides. The cover 15may then be swung to closed position and the pin 18 reinserted.

It will be understood that the specific device described may be modifiedas to various details, and it is intended that the invention should becommensurate in scope with the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a card tray, a base having an upstanding flange provided with aslot, a side member having a tongue extending through said slot, saidtongue having an enlarged head, and a supporting member having adepending flange spacing said tongue head and said upstanding flange andretaining said tongue in said slot.

2. In a card tray, a base member and a card supporting member parallelto and spaced from said base, one of said members having a dependingflange and the other of said members an upstanding flange, one of saidflanges spacing said base and supporting members, one of said flangeshaving a slot and the other of said members having a notch in alignmentwith said slot, and a side member having a tongue provided with anenlarged head extending through said slot and notch, the latter being ofless width than said slot and enlarged head, whereby said tongue isretained in said slot until said member having the notch is removed.

3. In a card tray, a base member removably carried thereby and a cardsupporting member, one of said members having a slot, a side memberhaving an interengaging tongue extending freely through said slot, andmeans on the other of said first members releasably engaging saidinterengaging tongue, to prevent said tongue from being removed fromsaid slot until said other member is removed.

4. In a card tray, a base member having an elongated slot, a side memberhaving a tongue extending freely through said slot and adapted forpivotal movement relative to said base member, and a card supportingmember removably supported by said base member having means coactingwith said slot and interengaging with said tongue to prevent removal ofsaid tongue from said slot.

5. In a card tray, a base having apertured upstanding flanges, a cardsupporting member having apertured depending flanges spacing said memberfrom the base, side members hinged to said first-named members, thehinge means comprising tongues extending from said side members throughthe apertured portions of said flanges of said base and card supportingmembers and interlocked therewith, bail members, for supporting saidside members, having end portions extending through apertured portionsof said flanges of the base and card supporting members and slidableinto the space therebetween, and a top member hingedly connected to oneof said side members and having means capable of being releasablyinterlocked with the other of said side members.

6. In a card tray, a base having a flange provided with slots, guidewayson said base having shoulders, a bail member having portions extendingthrough said slots and in said guideways, said portions having enlargedends for abutment with said shoulders to limit the outward movement ofsaid bail, and a side member hingedly connected to said base and adaptedto be supported by said bail.

'7. In a card tray, flanged base members forming opposed guideways onsaid base, said guide ways having shoulders formed by the inner endsthereof, the flange of said base having angular slots, horizontalportions of said slots being in alignment with said guideways, verticalportions of said slots being arranged at the inner ends of i saidhorizontal portions, and a bail having portions extending through saidslots and into slidable engagement with said guideways, the ends of saidportions being enlarged for abutment with the shoulders formed by theinner ends of said guideways, said bail being removable from said baseby pressing said portions together bringing said enlarged ends inalignment with the vertical portions of said slots and inwardly of saidguideways.

3. In a card tray, a base member, side members pivotally secured to saidbase member, and supporting members for said side members havingportions slidably mounted in said base member and other portionsextending upwardly along the outside of said side members adapted tooccupy inner and outer-positions with respect to said base and tosupport said side members in substantially vertical or inclinedpositions relative to said base member.

9. In a card tray, a base member, side members, a card supporting memberremovably mounted in said base member, said side members, base memberand card supporting member having cooperating parts detachably andpivotally connecting said side members to said base member, and meanshaving a portion slidable in said base member for supporting said sidemembers in vertical or inclined positions.

10. In a card tray, a base member, side members, and a card supportingmember carried by said base member, said base and card supportingmembers having cooperating parts pivotally connecting said side membersto said base member.

11. In a card tray, a base member, side members hinged to said basemember, and means slidably associated with said base member and havingportions disposed outwardly of said side members for supporting saidside members in inclined position relative to said base member.

ROBERT H. WOOD, Guardian 0! Rodney J. Wood, Incompetent.

